Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents in accessible form, a wide-ranging selection of work which addresses the various ways in which the topic writing and cinema can be understood. It also addresses a relatively neglected area in the academic study of cinema. The expansion of film and media studies in higher education, and the blurring of disciplinary boundaries between literary and media studies, have been evaluated either as a process of reinvigoration or decline. There are many books emerging from the recent cross-fertilisation between literary and cultural studies, focusing on the study of contemporary film and literary culture. The book investigates the relationships between written and cinematic communication, and offers detailed studies of a wide range of writing and film including classic and popular examples. Films have a written screenplay, which is the working template used in production.